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…because the Accolade, a rock band made up of four women, is looking for one. I know we’re a little behind on this, but it’s never too late to recognize some bad-ass women:

“In Saudi, yes, it’s a challenge,” said the group’s lead singer, Lamia, who has piercings on her left eyebrow and beneath her bottom lip. (Like other band members, she gave only her first name.) “Maybe we’re crazy. But we wanted to do something different.”
In a country where women are not allowed to drive and rarely appear in public without their faces covered, the band is very different. The prospect of female rockers clutching guitars and belting out angry lyrics about a failed relationship — the theme of “Pinocchio” — would once have been unimaginable here.
But this country’s harsh code of public morals has slowly thawed, especially in Jidda, by far the kingdom’s most cosmopolitan city.

The band’s namesake is this painting, which guitarist Dina says she likes “because it shows a woman who is satisfied with a man.” In some ways, all women-only music groups are transgressive. But the Accolade takes it to a new level.
Here’s how the band describes itself:

Dina -the ( guitarist ) was so interested in music.. especialy rock & metal music. Her dream was to make a band!she started learning how to play the guitar at the age of 16.. Also, Dareen ( bassist) was a huge support for her and even shared the same dream, so they started to look for members to create the band.. they met Lamia (vocals ) & Amjad who happened to be intrested in the same thing. By 2008, they took things seriously and started to practice and create their own music!!! Their music is inspired from paintings that tell a story of certain situations in our lives…it’s a blend of art & music..

In November I wrote a profile about the magic that was Black Girl Genius Week, a week of events, creation, and celebration of Black girlhood. This week-long event was presented by SOLHOT (Saving Our Lives Hear Our Truths) as an anti-conference and represented an opportunity to engage in SOLHOT sessions at middle and high schools in Champaign-Urbana. But more visible was the participation in next-level SOLHOT practices, like collaborating with musical group We Levitate. Our studio session was a sacred space where we left some of ourselves and took something more important with us. When I first wrote about the event I described our musical process like this: “Using sound and lyrics we addressed patriarchy, anti-blackness, sexism, hoe ...

In November I wrote a profile about the magic that was Black Girl Genius Week, a week of events, creation, and celebration of Black girlhood. This week-long event was presented by SOLHOT (Saving Our ...

Katie Hnida is an athlete, advocate, and all-around bad-ass, who was the first woman to score in an NCAA Division I football game.

She has been playing top-tier football for twenty years and has used her platform to speak out about the importance of improving sexism within sport culture. As a sexual assault survivor, Katie has a unique perspective on how to support women on campus and on and off the field.

We were so thrilled to speak with her about her experience for this week’s Feministing Five!

Suzanna Bobadilla: You have been playing football since you were in middle school and you were the first woman to score in an NCAA Division I game. You have touched various aspects ...

Katie Hnida is an athlete, advocate, and all-around bad-ass, who was the first woman to score in an NCAA Division I football game.

At the Screen Actors Guild Awards last year, Viola Davis won the title of outstanding lead actress in a dramaand gave this great speech on diversity and representation in Hollywood, thanking the creators of How to Get Away With Murder for believing that a “sexualized, messy, mysterious woman could be a 49-year-old, dark-skinned, African-American woman who looks like me.”

This year also marked the first time in the SAG awards history that both lead actress titles went to black women, as Uzo Aduba won for outstanding lead actress in a comedy for her role in Orange Is the New Black. Still, there’s always more progress to be made. As Davis said on the red carpet, “We’re in the 21st century now. People ...

At the Screen Actors Guild Awards last year, Viola Davis won the title of outstanding lead actress in a dramaand gave this great speech on diversity and representation in Hollywood, thanking the creators of How to Get ...